Exclusive preview: RAFW 2011

 

SYDNEY: Rosemount Australian Fashion Week will enter its sixteenth year with a restuctured program and phase one of a digital overhaul.

The spring/summer 2011 collections will be presented at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal from May 2 to 6. While the event will be restricted to two collection show venues – after a third was rationalised during the global financial crisis – on-site showrooms in the OPT area will be extended. A new exhibition space called ‘The Gallery’ will also be introduced.

Organiser IMG Fashion Asia Pacific confirmed the space will replace ‘Emerge’, a section of stands which promoted up-and-coming fashion designers. Marketing and communications director Graeme Lewsey said the new showcase will be formatted like an art gallery, with a focus on products outside the apparel category.

“We’re seeing an interesting transformation with that area,” he said. “Buyers are looking for merchandise to complement what they’re seeing on the runway, not necessarily clothing, so looking at pieces like accessories and swimwear.”

The simplified format will mean reduced pricing for participants, with a space at The Gallery costing $2000 plus GST for the week. Lewsey confirmed 30 gallery display cases will be available to brands, while 12 designer/agent showrooms priced between $5000 and $7500 will also be offered at the OPT.

An adjoining business-to-business  lounge will be introduced for industry buyers this year.
“This is based on feedback we’ve received from delegates, who really want somewhere [suitable] to conduct business and place orders,” Lewsey said.

Designers participating in runway shows will also be given new options, with variable seating arrangements and set designs introduced to the OPT and Cargo Theatre.

Two seating options will be available at the OPT venue, one allowing for a total capacity of 559 guests with a slender runway and another for 473 guests with a wide runway. Several set design options have been proposed for the Cargo Theatre, which has a capacity of 290 guests.

Lewsey said up to eight off-site slots have also been added to the schedule this year due to demand.

There will be a slight price increase for this, with off-site shows sitting at $10,000 while on-site venues will remain between $13,000 and $15,000.

The option will be backed with a fully coordinated bus service to take delegates to off-site venues.

“There is a caveat for this however,” Lewsey warned. “Designers must have the endorsement of the industry and understand the risks and financial burdens of staging an off-site show.”

Organisers believe the schedule will be further streamlined with the introduction of an online delegate and seating plan this year.

Each designer and PR representative will be given access to a password-encrypted website specifically for their show, allowing them to drag and drop delegates into a seating layout. This will replace existing manual systems.

“We were the first to introduce the streamline automated delegate pass system we have now,” Lewsey said. “This is taking that to the next step, delivering a fully online solution for this industry.

“This is a big process we tried to introduce last year but it needed more R&D. The new system will reduce the margin for human error.”

Lewsey confirmed this was stage one in a broader digital overhaul for the event. The second phase will be introduced in 2012 and involves a fully integrated program which will allow delegates to monitor RSVPs for each show versus allocated seating.

Buyers and media will be able to receive alerts on their schedule, and submit questions electronically.

While Lewsey declined to reveal designers on the 2011 schedule, representatives from Stolen Girlfriends Club, Alice McCall, Therese Rawsthorne, Kate Sylvester, Romance Was Born, Flannel, Michael Lo Sordo and Carl Kapp said they planned to stage shows in or around the event.    

Assia Benmedjdoub